The invention generally relates to hybrid vehicles having dual drive train power sources including an internal combustion engine and an electrical motor. More specifically, the invention pertains to a hybrid vehicle having a combined starter/motor/generator coupled to an internal combustion engine of the vehicle.
Hybrid vehicles are known wherein drive train power is derived from a combination of an internal combustion engine with an electrically powered motor. The electric motor may be used as a source of charging current for its associated batteries when the motor is not being used to supply driving power to the vehicle.
Commercial vehicles, such as pickup trucks used by contractors or utility companies often are deployed to job sites not having commercial power available for performing auxiliary tasks at the work site. Prior approaches to providing such power have utilized separate portable generators, usually carried in the pickup box of the vehicle. Alternatively, to supply larger electrical loads, such portable generators must be towed in a separate vehicle behind the contractor's truck. The separate generators typically are not capable of producing increased power levels without a concomitant increase in generator size. There is a need for providing a power source for auxiliary loads from a vehicle wherein use of independent self-powered generator is eliminated.